Baron Masuda Takashi (益田 孝, November 12, 1848 – December 28, 1938), was a Japanese industrialist, investor, and art collector.

[2] Masuda accompanied Ikeda Nagaoki in the unsuccessful 1863 Second Japanese Embassy to Europe to negotiate the cancellation of the open-port status of Yokohama.

He was inspired by Western culture so, upon his return home, he studied English at the Hepburn School (the forerunner of Meiji Gakuin University).

Mitsui quickly became a dominant player in Japanese exports of silk cloth and thread, cotton, coal, and rice, and in the import of industrial products and weaponry.

[3] In 1900, Masuda created the Taiwan Sugar Corporation, beginning Mitsui’s expansion into Japanese overseas colonies.